This invention relates to a nose bearing assembly for spectacles.
Such an assembly is intended to be attached to a central area of said spectacles.
It may be attached directly on corrective spectacles or sunglasses, at the bridge connecting the lenses, or on a frame surrounding them.
Each nose bearing assembly, of which there are two, consists of a pad intended to come into contact with a side of the nose of a wearer and be supported by a pad-bearing arm connected to the spectacles, as mentioned above.
In fact, one of the objectives of the invention is to obtain, at a lower cost, a nose bearing assembly capable of being freely self-adjusted, according to a front angle and a top angle, called a “caster” angle, with respect to the vertical and horizontal axes of the nose of a wearer.
It has already been suggested that such a pivoting can be obtained according to the aforementioned angles by pivoting the pad on its pad-bearing arm, by means of a threaded yoke at the free end of the pad-bearing arm, on which a drilled tab attached to the pad can be attached, in which the connection between the yoke of the pad-bearing arm and the tab of the pad is produced by means of a screw screwed into the threaded yoke and passing freely through the tab of the pad, while giving it pivoting freedom according to the aforementioned angles.
Thus, according to the prior art, the nose bearing assembly consists of a pad-bearing arm, a threaded yoke, a screw, an attachment tab and a pad. This means that five parts are necessary for each side, and therefore ten parts are necessary to obtain a complete nose bearing assembly.
These multiple parts increase costs, both with regard to the parts to be implemented and the handling for implementing them.
This also results in significant bulk in the lateral direction of the pad bearing associated with the plate.
Another disadvantage lies in the fact that it is difficult to properly position the pads. In addition, successive deformations of the pad bearing can lead to breakage after a certain amount of time. Finally, this system produces a large number of recesses in which, over time, impurities can collect, adversely affecting the aesthetics of the spectacles.
Attempts have been made to overcome these disadvantages by proposing pads made of plastic, intended to cover a metal core of a pad bearing. However, these pads have the disadvantage of being very bulky and cannot be used on any type of spectacles.
Another known system consists of producing pads that fit on the pad bearing. The pad then has at least one space in which the pad bearing is positioned, with hard points intended to come into contact with protuberances of the pad bearing, so as to ensure secure holding.
In this way, it is possible to limit the number of parts, while being capable of positioning the pads with respect to the nose. However, the disadvantage lies in the fact that the pad-bearing arm is inserted into the pad over almost the entire length thereof, which prevents any possibility of flexibility of the pad. In fact, the pad-bearing arm rigidifies the pad, over the entire length thereof, which is detrimental to the comfort of the wearer.
It has also been proposed, in order to make the pads flexible, to create plates on said pads, coming into direct contact with the sides of the wearer's nose. However, this creates as many contact points as there are plates, which can be uncomfortable for the wearer.